Documents
Watch Engage & Exchange: A Conversation with the Author of NACDL’s New Restitution Report with Prof. Cortney Lollar and Melinda Sarafa (Nov 2025)
News Release ~ Empty Pockets

New Report Reveals How Federal Restitution Law Fails Both Defendants and Victims  – Washington, DC (September 16, 2025) – The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) released a new report titled “Empty Pockets and Empty Promises: How Federal Restitution Law Fails Everyone.” Written by Professor Cortney Lollar of Georgia State University College of Law, the report finds that federal restitution prioritizes punishing defendants over compensating victims, saddling individuals in lifelong debt and collateral consequences with little benefit for those it claims to help.
Resolution in Support of Legislative Efforts to Reform Federal Restitution
The NACDL Board supports legislative efforts to reform existing federal restitution law to ensure fairness and accuracy; prevent restitution obligations from being overly burdensome; and to make it easier for restitution orders to be satisfied.

